Seeing Double in Luis Buñuel's Final Film

With “That Obscure Object of Desire,” the Spanish director went out with a bang.

By José Sarmiento Hinojosa | September 14, 2018

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Luis Buñuel, the infamous artist and filmmaker behind the Pixies-quoted, Salvador Dali collaboration, Un Chien Andalou, went on to make many acclaimed movies over the next (nearly) six decades. His last feature before his death was 1977’s That Obscure Object of Desire, which was ranked by the British Film Institute’s 2012 Sight & Sound poll as one of the top ten films of all time. Buñuel made the fascinating choice to cast two actresses as Conchita, the young, flamenco dancing, hot-and-cold love interest of the protagonist, who recounts the story of their volatile relationship in a series flashbacks set against a backdrop of extremist violence. In this video, we look at Buñuel’s use of the doppelgänger as an ingenious cinematic conceit to illuminate a tempestuous love story...with just a touch of the surreal.